Archives for April 2013

Former Marquette and Hinsdale Central star Brian Wardle is currently the coach at University Wisconsin-Green Bay. There are allegations that he mistreated his college basketball players. No one’s calling him Mike Rice from Rutgers yet; but there are both Brian Wardle supporters and accusers out there.

Former Chicago Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Mark Grace is finishing out a 4 month sentence at Tent City Prison in Arizona. Mark Grace, most recently a D-Backs television color analyst Mark Grace was sent to jail on DUI charges. The “lovable” drunk that used to hang out a lot at Durkin’s on the North side of Chicago trolling for Lincoln Park Trixie booty is supposedly behaving quite well in the pokey.

The man who popularized the term “slumpbuster” is now working on his issues; which are bigger than sleeping with a 5/10.

Maria Shriver is joining NBC News as a special anchor reporting on the shifting roles, emerging power and evolving needs of women in modern life. Her mother, Eunice Kennedy Shriver was a sister of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Edward Kennedy.

Shriver, who has Kennedy lineage in her bloodstream, will give reports and appearances on NBC News, CNBC, MSNBC and NBC Sports. The ex-wife of “The Governator” Arnold Schwarznegger will analyze women’s influence in all aspects of American culture and society. Maria Shriver has won two Emmys for her work as a producer.

Kelly Nash is a Fox Sports sideline reporter covering the Tampa Bay Rays. As you can tell from the photos, her job is largely influenced by her looks. Probably had a lot to do with how she got this sweet gig. So getting a batting practice home run ball to the face would likely not be the best thing to happen to Kelly Nash and her media career.

Obviously.

And it actually came “this close” to happening. You have to see the Kelly Nash pic; again worth a thousand words.

With Jason Collins, this morning becomes a “where were you when heard the news” moment. We have the first ever openly gay athlete from one of the four major sports leagues: NBA, NHL, MLB, NFL. Let the Jackie Robinson analogies to Jason Collins begin. The Jackie Robinson analogy does work on some levels, it’s flawed in other ways. But we can get to that later.

Jason Collins is the first openly gay jock who will play, and go to the locker room with his homosexual orientation public knowledge. Expect a HUGE media crush tonight when the Chicago Bulls take on the Brooklyn Nets in the NBA playoffs tonight.

In Jason Collins most recent game on April 17th, for the Washington Wizards versus the Chicago Bulls, Collins scored 2 points and had 3 rebounds in 17 minutes.

Kimberly Jones also known as Kim Jones used to be a New York Yankees sideline reporter for the YES Network and a semi-regular talk show host on WFAN, the famous New York City sports talk radio station. She was with YES from 2005 through 2011.

The 43-year-old Kimberly Jones graduated from Penn State University in the early 1990s and is associated with their Center for Sports Journalism

The NHL is partnering with the You Can Play Project for what is likely the biggest promotional campaign ever by a four major sport league in support of gay rights, The New York Times reports.

The NHL is taking a big step forward ahead of MLB, NFL and the NBA.

You Can Play is an organization dedicated to fighting homophobia in sports, and the locker room is certainly one of the last remaining bastions of homophobia in our society. It can actually be an atmosphere very hostile to gays; you know the kind of language that gets used there. It’s not exactly politically correct.

ESPN’s home team, the New York Jets, has released ESPN’s all-time favorite player Tim Tebow.

I haven’t turned on the boys (and girls) in Bristol, and quite frankly I’m afraid to. I won’t dare flip on the World Wide Leader right now because they will undoubtedly treat this story as if it were bigger than all four U.S. Presidential assassinations (JFK, Lincoln, McKinley, Garfield) combined.

The New York Jets parting ways with Tim Tebow? That’s gotta be priority number one for the WWL. I’m sure Darren Rovell has already sent out a dozen tweets about what brand of shoes Tim Tebow wears.

This will no doubt interrupt the network’s WALL TO WALL Miami Heat coverage.

Yesterday, the Big Ten officially announced what we all knew for at least a week. However, for those who are oblivious I’ll reiterate: new realignment and division names starting in 2014 and nine-game conference schedules starting in 2016. Most important about this college football news nugget or tidbit if you will, the Big Ten has laid to rest the HORRIBLE division names: Legends and Leaders.

Thankfully we only suffered through that pathetic pablum masquerading as division names for just two years. With Rutgers and Maryland joining the conference, where’s Rebecca Martinson when you need here? I’d love to hear her SCREAM and CURSE LOUDLY IN ANGER at whoever came up with that Legends and Leaders garbage.

With the Louisville Cardinals cutting down the nets, the book was officially closed on the 2012-2013 college basketball season. Hoop junkies like myself are already looking ahead to next season so allow me to present to you my updated way too early 2012-2013 preseason Top 25 college basketball rankings.

So here is my preliminary preseason Top 25 college basketball rankings for next season. I have updated these rankings since the NBA Draft early entries list is complete and a number of transfers have since been announced. There is still one major x-factor out there, the undecided Andrew Wiggins who is the #1 prospect in the 2013 class. Leave a comment below if you think a team is too high, too low, not getting enough respect, or if you notice an error in a projected roster. (Click here to see how my 2012-13 way too early preseason college basketball rankings turned out.)

I guess today was…happy birthday Jay Cutler! And there’s a picture of Jay Cutler with his fiance Kristen Cavallari that’s making the internet rounds today. It was first published by who else, Deadspin, they break everything nowadays. And now it’s all over Twitter.

I know you don’t care. Or should I say it like Jay Cutler you DONNNNNNN’T CARRRRRRRREEEEE.

Actually you should; and you will.

Jay went ’80s style with a mullet, zubaz, and a cig. Or maybe we’re lucky and it’s a joint. Jay smoking a J; it’s hard to tell from the picture. Probably not though; likely just nicotine.